About Me

Although I haven't gotten a western made yet, there's interest in a western series I've created (on paper). If you'd like to take a look at the sort of things I write, please visit my website, www.henrycparke.com. Thanks for looking!

MY Q&A WITH INSP-TV

HENRY ON ‘WRITER’S BLOCK’

On July 30th, 2015, I was the guest of hosts Bobbi Jean Bell and Jim Christina on ‘Writer’s Block’, their L.A. TALK-RADIO talk-show about the art and craft of writing. You can click PLAY to hear it, or DOWNLOAD to download it.

ROUND-UP ON THE RADIO!

Last Christmastime I was a guest on AROUND THE BARN, and had a great time talking about the Round-up, my writing, and Gene Autry’s Christmas music. To listen, click HERE.

Other Stuff I Write

While this blog is strictly about Western stuff, I also write another blog, Stalling Tactics, which is about anything else. If you'd like to read my most recent post, COSTUME DRAMA TRAUMA, go HERE.

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

I spent Monday afternoon on top of a mountain in Griffith Park, one of three Western fanatics being interviewed for a TCM featurette. It was great fun to discuss which films I consider to be the great Westerns, and the significance of the genre. The crew had spent the earlier part of the day filming at the Autry Museum. At around 2:30 p.m. a Park Ranger unlocked the gates so we could drive up the mountain, steering around a large rattlesnake. On the way down around 5:30 p.m. I spotted a large deer grazing, and throughout the afternoon hawks circled overhead. Also interviewed that day were make-up artist and Western film historian Michael F. Blake (whose father, Larry Blake, has a memorable role as the bartender in HIGH NOON), and DAEIDA MAGAZINE publisher David Ybarra. The film is scheduled to air in June to coincide with a singing cowboy festival.

EDDIE BRANDT DIES AT 90

Eddie Brandt, the man whose North Hollywood store, Eddie Brandt’s Saturday Matinee, has been a unique film resource and unofficial studio archive since the 1960s, died at the age of 90 on February 20th. In a town that routinely bulk-erases its own history, the Saturday Matinee is the last bastion of film information, posters, stills, and especially videotapes and DVDs.

But Eddie was much more than a man with an encyclopedic knowledge of American film, particularly the Western. He was also a successful musician, songwriter and composer. He wrote Rock & Roll Wedding for Nat King Cole, and had a major success with There’s No Place Like Hawaii. He also wrote Let’s Have A Heart To Heart Talk, to be sung by Huntz Hall in the Bowery Boys film BLUES BUSTERS.

Eddie’s son Donovan Brandt recalls, “He started with Spike Jones in ’47. My dad and Spike (co-wrote) CARMEN MURDERED, (the famous parody of Bizet’sCarmen), and a bunch of other songs that are more popular than that. Later on, my dad wrote Spike’s television show, and still wrote songs.” A self-taught pianist, Eddie occasionally played with Spike Jones and His City Slickers on stage and TV. “Then Spike got emphysema real bad, (retired), and after that my dad moved over to the Spade Cooley Show. He wrote Spade’s show, and I only have two episodes of it on tape, but I happen to have one which has my dad’s first wife, (singer Ruthie James). Then Spade went to jail for manslaughter. My dad worked with Stan Freeberg and Paul Frees, and he was in Stan’s garage when they made the first Beany and Cecil hand-puppet shows. He helped write those.”

Later Brandt wrote some of the POPEYE cartoons of the 1960s, then moved to Hanna-Barbera, where he wrote cartoon shows like THE IMPOSSIBLES, and created FRANKENSTEIN JUNIOR. It was there that he met and married his second wife, Claire, who was an animator and in-betweener. They started their North Hollywood thrift shop, which evolved into the Saturday Matinee. There are dozens of ‘The Films of…’ books, and in the acknowledgments, Eddie Brandt’s is always thanked for providing rare stills. As Eddie explained it to me some years ago, his store was a place for guys to hang out and talk about the kind of movies guys like – westerns and serials and horror films and comedies. Everyone is welcome in the store, and they carry an astonishingly wide range of movies, but it’s still very much a ‘guy’ store in terms of atmosphere. Every important studio and production company has an account there. You can frequently see well-known actors, directors and writers doing research, and often renting their own films, when they don’t have their own copies.Eddie’s particular favorites were Westerns, and Donovan explained how his father got to know many of his screen idols in the 1970s. “Well, we sold memorabilia, and a lot of these guys had nothing on themselves. I mean, Gene Autry bought posters from my dad. He owned real estate, radio stations, television stations, major league baseball teams – but not his own posters. And if Gene with all his money didn’t have that stuff, you can bet Eddie Dean didn’t, Johnny Mack Brown didn’t, Bob Steele and Tim McCoy didn’t.” Eddie converted his back-yard to a screening-room, and the stars came. Donovan recalls, “I got to meet Bob Steele, Gene Autry, Pat Buttram, Iron Eyes Cody.” Col. Tim McCoy wouldn’t let him handle his single-action Colt, “…but I got to touch it. Got to meet Lash LaRue, seen many whip-tricks when I was just a wee kid. He was a skilled technician, let me tell you.”

Donovan and his mother Claire have run the store for a number of years now. Brandt is also survived by four daughters – Kelly, Tracy, Holiday and Heidi – another son, Eric, and four grandchildren.

Yes, their last show was just over a month ago, but on Saturday and Sunday, April 2nd and 3rd, the Burbank Airport Marriott at 2500 North Hollywood Way in Burbank will host The Hollywood Show, a great place to meet stars, get autographs and all manner of collectibles. This time around it’s kinda slim pickings for Western fans. But there’ll be one of the sagebrush screen’s finest villains, Morgan Woodward (to read our interview with Morgan CLICK HERE), and Academy Award winner Martin Landau, who was delightful as Chief Walks Stooped-Over,a.k.a. 'Sky Eyes', a.k.a. Symbol of Good Faith in John Sturges’ wonderful Western comedy THE HALLELUJAH TRAIL, and terrifying in NEVADA SMITH. This event is fun, but it’s not cheap – admission is twenty clams for one day, thirty-five for both, and having something signed will usually cost $20 and up.

PAPERBACK SHOW PACKS ‘EM IN

The 32nd Annual Paperback Collectors’ Show and Sale, held this past Sunday at the Valley Inn in Mission Hills, was a rousing success. Black Ace Books honcho and show host Tom Lesser confirms that admissions are up. “It’s very good, good attendance, and it seems like a lot of interest in the show.” As I’ve noted before, this is an event where authors sign their books for free. There were hundreds of Western books for sale, but unfortunately, no Western authors were signing. “We used to have some, but they’re deceased. Gordon Shirreffs (RIO BRAVO) was one.” In addition to filling in some gaps in my Luke Short collection, my best finds were a Big Little Book: BUCK JONES AND THE KILLERS OF CROOKED BUTTE, and POKER ACCORDING TO MAVERICK. Not bad at all for two bucks each (the Big Little Book was missing its spine).

ROY RIDES RANGE AT RFD-TV

Thursday afternoon, March 31st, at 2:30 p.m. Western time, you can catch RAINBOW OVER TEXAS (1946), featuring Roy, Dale, Gabby, the Sons of the Pioneers, and the great heavy Sheldon Leonard in a tale based on a Max Brand story. Incredibly, the lovely Dale tries to pass for a man! She’d never have fooled me! On Saturday, April 2nd, at 9:00 a.m. Western times, repeating Thursday at 2:30p.m., it’s BELLS OF CORONADO (1950), written by Sloan Nibley, directed by William Whitney, and starring Roy, Dale, Pat Brady, and the Riders of The Purple Sage. Keep your eyes peeled for Rex Lease, once a Western leading man who plays the shipping-company foreman.

FREE MATINEE DOUBLE-FEATURE AT THE AUTRY

On Saturday, April 2nd, from noon ‘til 2 p.m., catch the double-bill of Gene Autry in SPRINGTIME IN THE ROCKIES (Rep. 1937), with Smiley Burnette. It’s directed by the great Joe Kane, and features not only the title song but Vitamine D and Down In The Land of Zulu (!). Paired with it is HILLS OF UTAH (Col.1951), with Pat Buttram, directed by John English, and featuring, in time for Easter, Here Comes Peter Cottontail. I like that the Autry has been double-billing an early Republic with a later Columbia, to give the viewer an idea of how Gene’s pictures changed over the years. The movies are free with your museum admission. And don’t forget, next Saturday it’s THE MAGNIFICENT 7 on the big screen in the Wells Fargo Theatre at 1:30 p.m.!

THE AUTRY NATIONAL CENTER

Built by cowboy actor, singer, baseball and TV entrepeneur Gene Autry, and designed by the Disney Imagineering team, the Autry is a world-class museum housing a fascinating collection of items related to the fact, fiction, film, history and art of the American West. In addition to their permenant galleries (to which new items are frequently added), they have temporary shows. The Autry has many special programs every week -- sometimes several in a day. To check their daily calendar, CLICK HERE. And they always have gold panning for kids every weekend. For directions, hours, admission prices, and all other information, CLICK HERE.

SILENT SOCIETY CELEBRATES 25 YEARS SATURDAY APRIL 2ND!

To mark their 25th anniversary, the Silent Society will have an all-day celebration, featuring the most popular leading ladies of the silent screen. At 1:30 it's THE INNOCENCE OF RUTH with Viola Dana, at 2:30 THE VEILED ADVENTURE with Constance Talmadge, at 4:00 THE FORBIDDEN CITY with Norma Talmadge. After the dinner break, at 7:00 it's A DASH THROUGH THE CLOUDS with Mabel Normand, and at 7:45 it's Colleen Moore in ELLA CINDERS. All the prints are 16mm, and all movies will have a live musical accompaniment by Michael Mortilla. Okay, I know none of these are Westerns, but the Silent Society shows more silent Westerns than anyone else! Tickets for the public are $15 for all day, or $10 per movie. For members it's $10 all day or $5 per movie. It's at the Lasky-DeMille Barn -- read about it below. For more information, CLICK HERE.

HOLLYWOOD HERITAGE MUSEUM

Across the street from the Hollywood Bowl, this building, once the headquarters of Lasky-Famous Players (later Paramount Pictures) was the original DeMille Barn, where Cecil B. DeMille made the first Hollywood western, The Squaw Man. They have a permanent display of movie props, documents and other items related to early, especially silent, film production. They also have occasional special programs. 2100 Highland Ave., L.A. CA 323-874-2276. Thursday – Sunday 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. $5 for adults, $3 for senior, $1 for children.

WELLS FARGO HISTORY MUSEUM

This small but entertaining museum gives a detailed history of Wells Fargo when the name suggested stage-coaches rather than ATMS. There’s a historically accurate reproduction of an agent’s office, an original Concord Coach, and other historical displays. Open Monday through Friday, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 a.m. Admission is free. 213-253-7166. 333 S. Grand Street, L.A. CA.

FREE WESTERNS ON YOUR COMPUTER AT HULU

A staggering number of western TV episodes and movies are available, entirely free, for viewing on your computer at HULU. You do have to sit through the commercials, but that seems like a small price to pay. The series available -- often several entire seasons to choose from -- include THE RIFLEMAN, THE CISCO KID, THE LONE RANGER, BAT MASTERSON, THE BIG VALLEY, ALIAS SMITH AND JONES, and one I missed from 2003 called PEACEMAKERS starring Tom Berenger. Because they are linked up with the TV LAND website, you can also see BONANZA and GUNSMOKE episodes, but only the ones that are running on the network that week.

The features include a dozen Zane Grey adaptations, and many or most of the others are public domain features. To visit HULU on their western page, CLICK HERE.

TV LAND - BONANZA and GUNSMOKE

Every weekday, TV LAND airs a three-hour block of BONANZA episodes from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. They run a GUNSMOKE Monday through Thursday at 10:00 a.m., and on Friday they show two, from 6:00 to 8:00 a.m.. They're not currently running either series on weekends, but that could change at any time.

NEED YOUR BLACK & WHITE TV FIX?

Check out your cable system for WHT, which stands for World Harvest Television. It's a religious network that runs a lot of good western programming. Your times may vary, depending on where you live, but weekdays in Los Angeles they run DANIEL BOONE at 1:00 p.m., and two episodes of THE RIFLEMAN from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m.. On Saturdays at 2:00 p.m. it's THE RIFLEMAN again, followed at 2:30 by BAT MASTERSON. And unlike many stations in the re-run business, they run the shows in the original airing order. There's an afternoon movie on weekdays at noon, often a western, and they show western films on the weekend, but the schedule is sporadic.

Well, pardners, that’s it for this week!

Happy Trails,

Henry (certified TCM Western authority!)

All contents copyright March 2011 by Henry C. Parke – All Rights Reserved

Monday, March 21, 2011

PLEASE EXCUSE THE DELAY in this week's Round-up, but some personal business, of a very positive nature, has come up. If anything pans out, I'll let you know, and I'll have this week's Round-up up Monday night or Tuesday.

I think Henry’s Western Round-up has earned bragging rights for scooping all other media with the story of THE FIRST RIDE OF WYATT EARP. The Daily Variety, the first in mainstream media to announce the production, did so this past Thursday, March 17th. We announced it on February 27th – eighteen days earlier! There’s a lot of buzz over the casting of Val Kilmer as the fabled lawman. Kilmer has played real Wild West figures to great effect – his performance as the title character in BILLY THE KID (1989) established him as a leading man, and his portrayal of Doc Holliday in TOMBSTONE (1993) is the stuff of legend.

EARP is such a new production that tonight, Sunday, March 20th, is the last scheduled day of shooting. The screenplay by Darren Benjamin Shepherd is based on a true crime that Earp faced early in his career as Dodge City Marshall, the murder of actress Dora Hand. When Earp took off after suspected killer Spike Kenedy, he had a posse of young men that is incredible to contemplate: Bat Masterson, Charlie Bassett, Bill Tilghman and Doc Holliday. The film opens in San Francisco, 1907, where a 60ish Earp, played by Val Kilmer tells the story to a reporter.

Earp’s story takes us back to Dodge, 1878, and a younger Earp, portrayed by Shawn Roberts, recently seen in comedies like I LOVE YOU, BETH COOPER (2009), and dark thrillers like EDGE OF DARKNESS (2010) with Mel Gibson. Levi Fiehler, recently starring in WOLF TOWN (2010) and PUPPETMASTER: AXIS OF EVIL (2010), plays lawman Bill Tilghman. Bat Masterson is Matt Dallas, who starred as the title character in the sci-fi series KYLE XY. Charlie Bassett is played by Scott Whyte of MIGHTY DUCKS #2&3. Wilson Bethel of THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS and GENERATION KILL is Doc Holliday. Daniel Booko, recently seen on MEDIUM and DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES, is the villain of the piece, Spike Kenedy. They’re a young and handsome bunch, and the filmmakers are no doubt hoping for the kind of lightning that struck with the casting of YOUNG GUNS (1988), which featured Emilio Estevez, Kiefer Sutherland, Charlie Sheen, Lou Diamond Phillips and Dermot Melroney.

Also featured in the cast are country music star Trace Atkins, currently seen in THE LINCOLN LAWYER, who plays Spike’s cattle-baron father Miflin Kenedy, and AMERICAN IDOL finalist Diana DeGarmo in her first film role as Dora Hand.

On Wednesday, March 9th, I found my way on mountain dirt roads to Caravan West Ranch in Agua Dulce. The production assistant who picked me up steered around steers on the way to base camp. Peter Shereyko, whose Caravan West is supplying guns, saddles, horses, costumes and set dressing, did the same job on YELLOW ROCK(http://henryswesternroundup.blogspot.com/2010/09/yellow-rock-part-2-on-monday.html) (CLICK HERE to read about it), so I was pleased but not surprised to see some familiar faces: art director Christian Ramirez, set dresser and propmaster Zack Smith, and wranglers Kevin McNiven and Ardeshir Radpour. Base camp was on the bottom of a canyon, and halfway up the sagebrush-covered hills that ringed it, I saw the crew working with four men on horseback. The crew was tiny – two cameramen, soundman, the woman with the slate, and director Michael Feifer, a tall man with a bullhorn, parka and backwards baseball cap. In rapid succession he directed several scenes of lawmen riding by in various directions and groupings, with and without dialogue. The action was always covered by two cameras, one shooting the master, the other picking up close-ups and two-shots, the actions repeated often without stopping the camera. Feifer directs with an efficient but unhurried decisiveness. He knows what we wants, gets it, moves on, cheerfully joking with cast and crew. He rarely has to check his notes to see what’s needed. Never standing on ceremony, he grabs the script and an apple-box and is on his way to the next setup. I assume he owns a director’s chair, but on two days in two locations, I never saw him use one, or even sit down, except when they called lunch. It was during lunch that I got to talk to him.

Henry: I understand you’ve directed 21 films now?Michael Feifer: This is the twenty-third. H: You’ve done a lot of stuff with animals and serial killers. Is this your first Western?M: Yes, my first Western. Well, I’ve done two contemporary Westerns. I did SODA SPRINGS (2011), in Idaho, that’s a contemporary Western. And a Hallmark-type Western called VALENTINE’S DAY. I don’t know if they call it a Western, but a girl goes to New York, then goes back to Texas, and they’re riding horses.H: Is a Western something you’ve wanted to do for a long time? M: I just like to make all sorts of movies, all sorts of genres, and I’m a big fan of any genre, whether it be Western or whatever -- (laughs), but I’m not like Peter Sherayko! But I like a lot of Westerns.H: What are your favorite Westerns?M: HIGH NOON (1952) – probably HIGH NOON and MAGNIFICENT 7 (1960) are my favorites. I never liked STAGECOACH, never understood the fascination with it. Because STAGECOACH was made in 1939, the same year that GONE WITH THE WIND and THE WIZARD OF OZ were made, and I don’t think you can put STAGECOACH up against those movies. H: Where did this particular project come from? M: Well, my executive producers names are Jeff Schenck and Barry Barnholtzs, and the writer is Darren Shephard. Barry had sold some Westerns that did okay. Westerns are a tough sell, but if you do them correctly, they can do well). The thing about Westerns is they’re an evergreen type of product. You make a good, watchable one, it’ll play for years. They’re not trendy, like serial killer or horror movies. A Western has a life to it. H: Why are Westerns a tough sell? M: Because they don’t sell in foreign markets. Westerns are such an American phenomenon that foreign territories aren’t interested. So nobody wants to put the money up to make them. If people bought them, they’d be made. H: How did you go about casting?M: One of the first thoughts was to get Val Kilmer to star in it, and that worked out -- we shot Val Kilmer in San Francisco, at the Fairmount Hotel, set in 1907. And then, casting (the rest) was a matter of auditioning. And we have a great group of actors – I’m very excited. These guys are very experienced actors. There’s a misnomer about how movies are made, mostly lower budget movies. When you direct a film, they like to blame you for the edit, the final product. I’m not always in control of the final product, because it’s a producer’s medium. An executive producer chooses an actor, and I haven’t seen some of the actors in the movie. It’s their money, it’s their product. So sometimes that happens.H: How did you like working with Val Kilmer?M: Amazing, a great guy – very nice. Actually, it was funny; I talked to him on the phone briefly. I didn’t meet him in person until he was on-set, dressed as Wyatt Earp. He had the mustache on, and you really can’t recognize him as Val Kilmer with the mustache. And he didn’t take it off until we wrapped him. And the moment he takes the mustache off, okay, it’s Val Kilmer. It’s almost like he’s an impostor all the way through, until he takes that mustache off. He was kind, compassionate, helpful. He was very into it, very excited by it. I’ve even heard from him since then, saying how much he enjoyed doing it. H: What should I have asked you that I haven’t asked yet? M: How much I love my wife.H: How much do you love your wife?M: I love her more than anything. H: What else should I know?M: I have a degree in architecture. University of Colorado, Boulder. I was a graphic designer. I started producing movies after I graduated from architecture school, with my father, who was also a film producer. I consider him a film producer – not a film-maker. He made WITCHCRAFT, parts one through thirteen. I produced WITCHCRAFT parts 5,6,7,8 and 9. I ran his video label. Went all over the world -- Cannes, Mifed. I didn’t want to start directing films until I had a full grasp of everything to do with production. My relationship with Barry Barnholtz started when I used to see Barry around Mifed and AFM (American Film Market). There was an opportunity to make some movies for him, I started making these movies about serial killers, true crime movies. Boston Strangler, Ted Bundy, Ed Gein, BTK -- movies like that. And the relationship’s just grown. Jeff Schenck, my other executive producer, came in with him, and the first movie we did was called THE CHRISTMAS PROPOSAL, with Tom Arnold, Nicole Eggert.H: How many set-ups do you usually do in a day?M: I try to do fifty to a hundred in a day. But you can’t really count set-ups any more, with digital cameras. When you were there just now, we shot a shot, I had the camera rolling, and I moved the camera while the camera was rolling, and did another setup. So how do you count setups? I had three guys go through, one goes through, another goes through – is that three setups or one setup? H: What kind of video system are you using? M: We’re shooting on the brand new Panasonic 8GAF 100 cameras. The big thing now with video is DSLR cameras; they’re basically single-lens reflex cameras that shoot hi-def, so your old Nikon camera can suddenly shoot hi-def. We have a PL mount, which allows Panavision lenses, Zeiss lenses to go on it, so it’s a better setup for shooting movies. These cameras – the SLRs, the AF 100s – the reason why people love ‘em, is they’ve got one single big chip, and that one big chip allows for a shallow depth of field. Shallow depth of field is shallow focus, and that’s more cinematic.

The end of lunch was called, and as Michael went back to work, I met a small blond woman with bit of a German accent, whose name is Katerina Ramirez. “I am key hair and make-up artist. I have not done a Western before – this is my first. We’re trying to recreate the period look of the late Victorian era, so we’re trying to do the mustaches and the period hair – especially for the women.” The day wasn’t cold, but the wind was strong. I asked her if it was a problem. “It’s kind of tough, but you get used to it. As long as you keep yourself warm, and keep your sunscreen on, Chapstick and everything.”

Katerina’s husband, Christian Ramirez, is the art director, which he also was on YELLOW ROCK. “This one involves a lot more travelling. There’s a lot more chase type stuff, chasing after a wanted man. Not a whole lot of really big sets. We’re going to be shooting at Paramount Ranch. We’re going to be dressing the saloon, a sheriff’s office, we’re going to be doing a dance-hall where the actresses perform. We’re going to be doing an Indian burial ground, and an Indian reservation, only we’re only doing one teepee, and it’s going to be a brief scene. It always feels good to do another Western – I’m a big fan of Westerns, I know a lot of people are, and there’s not enough being made these days. Did you see the new TRUE GRIT?H: I loved it. I loved the original, too.C: What I really liked, which surprised me, was most (period) movies today, they speak in modern language. And in TRUE GRIT they used more of the Victorian tongue, which I thought was really neat. And also it was kind of dirty and gruff – he takes the dead body, and, “I just want the teeth – you can have the rest!” They found value in everything, you know? Nothing was wasted. With the WYATT EARP script, I love the fact that they actually deal with time, with the traveling aspect of the west -- that horses overheat, you’ve got to feed them, that you can only travel so far in a day. With a lot of Westerns, they’re in a town, and a cut later they’re in another town, and a cut later they’re at the campfire. Like they’re taking helicopters. And this movie deals with the travel-times, which I thought was an interesting twist. It’s a super-tight schedule. Ten days total of shooting. We’re doing ten to twelve pages of script per day. Normally you do three, four, maybe five. We’re doubling it, so it’s gonna be tough.

When I sat down with Western consultant and stunt coordinator Peter Sherayko, I complimented him on the look of the production in general, and the pretty, shaggy horses. PETER: Well, it’s wintertime, and they have their winter coats on. Probably another month, when I start brushing down the horses, I’ll have enough hair to fill a mattress. Which is what they used to do. I purposely brought the same horses we used on YELLOW ROCK. It’s still being edited – and they have to do a couple of pick-up shots, so I can do a little pick-up shot while we’re all here. H: Any different challenges on this project?P: We’re doing the same thing – costumes, props, set dressing, horses, guns, getting everything together. H: In addition to wrangling, Kevin McNiven seems to have a substantial role in the picture.P: No one can outride Kevin – Kevin’s poetry on horseback. I believe he’s going to be a deputy who gets killed this week, but he’s going to be doing a lot of riding. Kevin and Adeshir, who’s my other wrangler -- Adeshir’s a professional polo player – they will be doubling the actors. So in the long shots, when you see these guys really riding, it’ll be Kevin and Adeshir. I get killed in this one too, unlike TOMBSTONE. H: This story is based on historical fact. Are there major challenges doing that versus a fictional story.P: It doesn’t matter– I like seeing it correct. So I did have a lot of notes for the director because of little (bits of ) misinformation in the script. That’s why I’m doing my new book, to help writers out, to help directors, actors, so that they get it right. THE FRINGE OF HOLLYWOOD – THE ART OF MAKING A WESTERN. That’s my new book, which will be out this summer. There was one line in the script, when Dora Hand is killed, and they’re investigating the next day, and find 30-30 shells outside the window. Well, 30-30 shells weren’t invented in 1878 – they weren’t invented until 1894. The other one that stands out, Wyatt Earp is looking at the hoof marks on the ground, and says, “Looks like a heavy horse – probably a Palomino.” And I had to bring up that ‘palomino’ is the color of a horse, not a kind of a horse. All these little things that I love to go through in a script and correct. Fictional or real – this of course is the killing of Dora Hand, which in Hollywood the phrase is ‘based on a true story,’ which means that they’ve got somebody’s real name in there. There’s a girl named Chris Esenss who’s written a lot of good historical books on the west. Her most recent one was THE MANY LOVES OF BUFFALO BILL, where I wrote the forward, and she has another book coming out this year, called THUNDER OVER THE PLAINS, which is exactly this story, but not the same treatment. This script has all the facts in there, but it takes a little poetic license, which is fine with me. What I try to do is put the right guns in it, the right saddles and good horses, the right costumes as much as we can. On March 24th I’m going to the Palm Springs WestFest, signing books, but I’ll also be talking at two seminars about western movies and the real west. And after that I go to Old Tucson for their Western Festival, April 1st, 2nd and 3rd. I’m bringing a display down with guns, saddles, and sunbelts that we used in TOMBSTONE. H: Are they ever going to rebuild their soundstage? (It was destroyed in an arson fire years ago. For details, read OLD TUCSON GAINS MUCH-NEEDED STARDUST HEREP: That’s one of the things that a friend of mine has been trying to do, to make it a real movie studio like it used to be. He wants me to come in and design everything, so it’s movie-friendly.

I spoke for a few minutes to executive producer Jeff Schenck, whose previous films include AMERICAN BANDITS: FRANK AND JESSE JAMES. He thinks THE FIRST RIDE is a particularly good project for Val Kilmer. “I think audiences remember him from TOMBSTONE, he gave such a brilliant performance, really an iconic performance, and I think they’re going to be excited to see Val Kilmer playing another iconic character again, like Wyatt Earp.” He also believes the film will have particular appeal to a younger audience. “Unlike some other Westerns that are somewhat unrelatable, with Wyatt Earp, you’ve got this character that everyone knows, yet we’re going back to a time when no one really knew of him, where you’ve got Wyatt, Charlie, Bill and Bat in a young, hip way – and I think it makes the genre relatable to a new generation. As opposed to an older Western, where it’s the audience that you expect to have, we hope to bring in that CW audience, and graduate them into a fun Western genre.”

In two weeks I’ll have part two of my on-set report on THE FIRST RIDE OF WYATT EARP, about my visit to the Paramount Ranch location.

FIRST ANNUAL LOS ANGELES SPAGHETTI WESTERN FESTIVAL

Next week I’ll have a report on the event, where I happened to learn that the week before WYATT EARP arrived at Paramount Ranch, a western pilot was shot there, starring Bruce Boxleitner and Robert Davi.

PALM SPRINGS ‘WESTFEST’ MARCH 24TH-27TH

There’s going to be so much going on at the Palm Springs Convention Center from Thursday through Sunday that I hardly know where to begin. There will be a PRCA Rodeo every day – including bareback riding, steer wrestling, team roping, saddle bronc riding, tie-down roping, barrel racing and bull riding; the Twangfest musical festival; Western Design Expo; a rodeo parade; barbecue; chili cook-off; a carnival; a Gene Autry Film Fest; talks by Bob Boze Bell of True West Magazine, Golden Boot Award creator Rob Word, Western movie consultant Peter Sherayko, author Julie Ream and John Wayne co-star Eddie Faulkner remembering the Duke…. So much more than I can’t begin to fit it all in here – and aside from the rodeo, admission to everything is just five bucks a day! Also, although they officially say Westfest starts on March 24th, their event schedule starts on March 20th. CLICK HERE to go to the official site and learn more!

PAPERBACK COLLECTOR SHOW AND SALE SUNDAY, MARCH 27th

If you’re a reader of Westerns as well as a watcher, here is an event you should not miss! From 9:00 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. you can search the wares of dozens of book dealers from around the country. They run from the very rare and pricey to the battered and cheap. Serious paperback collectors go for unopened books in perfect condition, but I go for what are disparagingly called ‘reader copies,’ and have found dozens of obscure Luke Shorts and Zane Greys for a dollar or two each. Also, more than 45 authors will be signing their books, and unlike other autograph shows, THERE IS NO CHARGE! Most of the authors are sci-fi and mystery types – for a complete list and schedule, click HERE. The event is at the Valley Inn and Conference Center, 10621 Sepulveda Blvd., Mission Hills, CA 91345. For more information, call Tom Lesser at 818-349-3844 or Black Ace Books at 232-661-5052.http://www.la-vintage-paperback-show.com/

BREAKING INTO WESTERN PRINT (BOTH ‘E’ AND PAPER) MARCH 27TH

If you’ve ever wanted to write a western novel or story – of if you’ve written it, but don’t know how to get it published (my hand is raised), make plans to go to Out West, at 24265 Main Street in Newhall on Sunday, March 27th at 2:00 p.m. Author C. Courtney Joyner, the very talented and prolific screenwriter and western film historian, will discuss breaking into the western print market, agents, editors, networking, the changes at Leisure Books, ‘E’ publishing, university presses, contests, and publishers across the pond. Mr. Joyner knows whereof he speaks: in addition to a long string of screen credits, both as writer and director, he wrote the fascinating interview-book THE WESTERNERS (see my review HERE), and his excellent tale, The Two-bit Kill, is featured in the new western story collection, LAW OF THE GUN. The event is free. For reservations call 661-255-7087.

CONTINUING

THE AUTRY NATIONAL CENTER

Built by cowboy actor, singer, baseball and TV entrepeneur Gene Autry, and designed by the Disney Imagineering team, the Autry is a world-class museum housing a fascinating collection of items related to the fact, fiction, film, history and art of the American West. In addition to their permenant galleries (to which new items are frequently added), they have temporary shows. The Autry has many special programs every week -- sometimes several in a day. To check their daily calendar, CLICK HERE. And they always have gold panning for kids every weekend. For directions, hours, admission prices, and all other information, CLICK HERE.

HOLLYWOOD HERITAGE MUSEUM

Across the street from the Hollywood Bowl, this building, once the headquarters of Lasky-Famous Players (later Paramount Pictures) was the original DeMille Barn, where Cecil B. DeMille made the first Hollywood western, The Squaw Man. They have a permanent display of movie props, documents and other items related to early, especially silent, film production. They also have occasional special programs. 2100 Highland Ave., L.A. CA 323-874-2276. Thursday – Sunday 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. $5 for adults, $3 for senior, $1 for children.

WELLS FARGO HISTORY MUSEUM

This small but entertaining museum gives a detailed history of Wells Fargo when the name suggested stage-coaches rather than ATMS. There’s a historically accurate reproduction of an agent’s office, an original Concord Coach, and other historical displays. Open Monday through Friday, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 a.m. Admission is free. 213-253-7166. 333 S. Grand Street, L.A. CA.

FREE WESTERNS ON YOUR COMPUTER AT HULU

A staggering number of western TV episodes and movies are available, entirely free, for viewing on your computer at HULU. You do have to sit through the commercials, but that seems like a small price to pay. The series available -- often several entire seasons to choose from -- include THE RIFLEMAN, THE CISCO KID, THE LONE RANGER, BAT MASTERSON, THE BIG VALLEY, ALIAS SMITH AND JONES, and one I missed from 2003 called PEACEMAKERS starring Tom Berenger. Because they are linked up with the TV LAND website, you can also see BONANZA and GUNSMOKE episodes, but only the ones that are running on the network that week.

The features include a dozen Zane Grey adaptations, and many or most of the others are public domain features. To visit HULU on their western page, CLICK HERE.

TV LAND - BONANZA and GUNSMOKE

Every weekday, TV LAND airs a three-hour block of BONANZA episodes from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. They run a GUNSMOKE Monday through Thursday at 10:00 a.m., and on Friday they show two, from 6:00 to 8:00 a.m.. They're not currently running either series on weekends, but that could change at any time.

NEED YOUR BLACK & WHITE TV FIX?

Check out your cable system for WHT, which stands for World Harvest Television. It's a religious network that runs a lot of good western programming. Your times may vary, depending on where you live, but weekdays in Los Angeles they run DANIEL BOONE at 1:00 p.m., and two episodes of THE RIFLEMAN from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m.. On Saturdays at 2:00 p.m. it's THE RIFLEMAN again, followed at 2:30 by BAT MASTERSON. And unlike many stations in the re-run business, they run the shows in the original airing order. There's an afternoon movie on weekdays at noon, often a western, and they show western films on the weekend, but the schedule is sporadic.

Sunday, March 13, 2011

(Updated Tuesday 3/15/2011)I think most of us had assumed that the big-screen version of THE BIG VALLEY was in the can some months ago, but word from 20th Century Fox is that it’s currently on hiatus, and will resume shooting in mid-May, to be finished in the fall, with no release date set yet. The new version stars Jessica Lange in Barbara Stanwyck’s role of Victoria Barkley, Travis Fimmel in Lee Major’s role of Heath, Jason Alan Smith in Peter Breck’s role of Nick Barkley and Sara Paxton in Linda Evans’ role of Audra Barkley. Stephen Moyer of TRUE BLOOD fame had been announced in the role of Jarrod Barkley – originally Richard Long – but now no one is listed in that role. (Updated 3/15/11) I’ve confirmed that production delays caused Stephen Moyer to exit THE BIG VALLEY, due to his previous commitment to TRUE BLOOD. What is happening to the role of Jarrod Barkley I don’t yet know. Also of note in the cast are three actors who appeared on the original series, Bruce Dern, Buck Taylor, and Richard Dreyfus – Dreyfus plays real railroad exec and banker Charles Crocker. Aidan Quinn and John Savage also are featured, but the best casting of all is Lee Majors, the original illegitimate son Heath, who now plays his own father, Tom Barkley.

(Pics, top to bottom - TV's BIG VALLEY cast, Harrison Ford and Daniel Craig in COWBOYS & ALIENS, Festival of the West banner, CHEYENNE WARRIOR poster, Baby Peggy in the saddle, Spaghetti Western Festival announcement,Keokuk's Son, King of the Crows)

COWBOYS & ALIENS FAUX SCREENPLAY

Cowboys & Aliens, the comic-book-adapted film directed by Jon Favreau and starring Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford and Olivia Wilde, is scheduled to reach theaters on July 29th. The screenplay is largely credited to the STAR TREK(2009)/TRANSFORMERS/MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE 3 team of Robert Orci and Alex Kurtzman, although there are 7 – count ‘em – 7 other writing credits, including Damon Lindelof, Mark Fergus and Hawk Ostby for screenplay, Fergus, Ostby and Steve Oedekerk for screen story, and Scott Mitchell Rosenberg for the original comic book. Now, to muddy the waters further, a screenplay has been posted online, along with its own Facebook page, and getting a lot of praise from folks who say after reading it that they can’t wait to see the movie. That screenplay, by David Reskin and David Chute, who co-wrote CLICK: THE CALENDAR GIRL KILLER (1990) among others, is dated 1989, and although obviously based on the same source material, appears to have no direct connection to the movie currently in production.

‘FIRST RIDE OF WYATT EARP’ ROLLS IN L.A.!

Round-up regulars will remember that on February 27th I headlined the fact that several Wyatt Earp-centered projects were in the works, including the feature THE FIRST RIDE OF WYATT EARP, starring Val Kilmer. The movie is based on the murder of Dora Hand in 1878 Dodge City, Kansas, and I was lucky enough to be present this Wednesday, March 9th for the first day of principal photography. I hope to be back on-set next week, and I’ll be reporting details in next week-end’s Round-up.

DRYDEN MAKES SILENTS AVAILABLE ONLINE

Movie treasures from the George Eastman House Collection are now available online. Most are silent shorts, but there are also sound features, and some very odd and quirky stuff, like a Walt Disney short called CLARA CLEANS HER TEETH. Among those titles of particular interest to Western fans are HOW THE COWBOY MAKES HIS LARIAT (1920), RED EAGLE’S LOVE AFFAIR (1910), THE CONFEDERATE IRONCLAD (1912), THE COPPERHEAD (1918) starring Lionel Barrymore and ROARING RAILS (1924) starring Harry Carey. To take a look, CLICK HERE.

http://dryden.eastmanhouse.org/sneak-peek/#

ROY AND TRIGGER STILL RIDE AT RFD-TV

I’d gotten a little concerned at the difficulty of finding Roy Rogers on RFD-TV – first it disappeared from Saturday morning, then from the midnight showing as well. Were they trying to say ‘Happy Trails’ to Happy Trails Theatre? Happily, the folks at RFD say ‘no’, and proved it by giving me the schedule for the next three months. It turns out that two of RFD’s biggest money-makers are beef auctions and the Country Music Family Reunion. The noon showings are preempted by the auction, and the midnight by the Reunion – it’s their original time slot. So until the auctions end, and a better nighttime slot is found, we’ll have to settle for Thursday afternoons, 2:30 western and 5:30 eastern. On Thursday the 17th it’s MAN FROM OKLAHOMA.

COMING ATTRACTIONS – EVENTS IN MARCH

FESTIVAL OF THE WEST IN SCOTTSDALE MARCH 17TH-20TH

The 21st Annual Festival of the West will take place starting this Thursday at Westworld in Scottsdale, Arizona. In addition to food and shopping and Western fashions, there’ll be an Extreme Cowboy Race, featuring 60 challenges and obstacles! Music will be provided by, among others, The Gatlin Brothers. The line-up of stars appearing includes William Smith, Peter Brown, Michael Dante, James Drury, Robert Fuller, Denny Miller, Dan Haggerty, L.Q. Jones, John Saxon, Clint Walker, Tommy Kirk and Kevin Sorbo. Authors include Jeff Hildebrand, Amanda Blake biographer Becky Burgoyne, and author and CHEYENNE WARRIOR screenwriter Michael Druxman. To learn more, CLICK HERE.

http://festivalofthewest.com/index.html

UCLA SCREENINGS AT THE BILLY WILDER THEATRE

Screenings as part of their Preservation Festival include, on Monday, March 14th, THE FORGOTTEN VILLAGE (1941) from a screenplay by John Steinbeck, preceded by MEXICO IN THE HEARST METRONONE NEWS COLLECTION. And on Saturday, March 19th at 2:00 p.m. they will present the program BABY PEGGY: HOLLYWOOD’S TINY TITAN. The daughter of a cowboy and stuntman, Baby Peggy, co-starring with Brownie the Wonder-Dog, was a hugely popular star of Western child action comedy films in the 1920s. Few of her films have survived, but Baby Peggy has – she’s now known as Diana Serra Carey, and she will be present for the screening of several of her short films, and existing fragments of several more. (Here’s a historical note: a Baby Peggy film was the first movie to play at the Vista Theatre in Hollywood when it was opened in the early 1920s. The theatre was built at the intersection of Hollywood and Sunset Boulevards, where the Babylon sets for D. W. Griffith’s INTOLERANCE once stood. Over the decades the theatre and neighborhood lost its luster, and the Vista became a gay porn theatre. When it was turned into a revival house in the 1980s, Baby Peggy, who had attended the original opening decades before, attended the new ceremony, where gay porn director Fred Halsted handed the theatre keys over to her.)

LOS ANGELES SPAGHETTI WESTERN FESTIVAL MARCH 19th!

The historic El Portal Theatre in North Hollywood will play host on Saturday, March 19th to the Los Angeles Spaghetti Western Festival. This all-day event will feature live music, screenings, and some very special guest stars, leading men Robert Woods (GATLING GUN, read our review HERE -- read our interview with Woods HERE); Michael Forest (NOW THEY CALL HIM SACRAMENTO, read our review HERE); Richard Harrison ($100,000 FOR RINGO); Brett Halsey (WRATH OF GOD); Dan van Husen (LIGHT THE FUSE…SARTANA IS COMING) and Jack Betts –a.k.a. Hunt Powers (DJANGO AND SARTANA), as well as actor, stunt coordinator and Western historian Neil Summers. JUST ADDED TO THE GUEST PANEL are Mark Damon and Edd 'Kookie' Burns! The movies to be screened will include the one that started it all, Sergio Leone’s A FISTFUL OF DOLLARS, plus GATLING GUN (courtesy of Dorado Films – click HERE for their site) and DEAD MEN DON’T COUNT (courtesy of Wild East productions – click HERE for their site). A live musical tribute to Ennio Morricone will be presented by The Insect Surfers, playing music from the album FOR A FEW GUITARS MORE. It all starts at 10:00 a.m. For all the details, go to the official website HERE. Just added -- BOOK SIGNING WITH DAVID FRANGIONI (6:30-7:15PM)Meet author David Frangioni for a book signing of “Clint Eastwood ICON.” The book presents an unprecedented collection of film art surrounding the legendary actor. This comprehensive trove gathers together poster art, lobby cards, studio ads, and esoteric film memorabilia from around the world.

AT THE AUTRY SATURDAY – ‘CONFINING A PEOPLE WITHIN A MAP’

Paul Apodaca (Navajo/Mixton), Ph.D., presents a lecture on how the very act of mapping a land can effect the lives and cultures of Native peoples. “Mapping has been used to divide Native peoples into differing nationalities, to limit the definition of land claims, and as a method for penetrating the homelands of people not under the control of American and European governments. The mapping expeditions of Lewis and Clark, John C. Fremont, and others gave the United States a tool for initiating political and social change.” Saturday, Mar 19, 2011, 1:00 pm - 2:30 pm – admission is included with standard museum admission, but reservations are recommended.

SUNDAY MARCH 20TH – LAST DAY TO SEE MASTERS OF THE AMERICAN WEST 2011PALM SPRINGS ‘WESTFEST’ MARCH 24TH-27TH

There’s going to be so much going on at the Palm Springs Convention Center from Thursday through Sunday that I hardly know where to begin. There will be a PRCA Rodeo every day – including bareback riding, steer wrestling, team roping, saddle bronc riding, tie-down roping, barrel racing and bull riding; the Twangfest musical festival; Western Design Expo; a rodeo parade; barbecue; chili cook-off; a carnival; a Gene Autry Film Fest; talks by Bob Boze Bell of True West Magazine; talks by John Wayne co-star Eddie Faulkner remembering the Duke…. So much more than I can’t begin to fit it all in here – and aside from the rodeo, admission to everything is just five bucks a day! Also, although they officially say Westfest starts on March 24th, their event schedule starts on March 20th. CLICK HERE to go to the official site and learn more!

PAPERBACK COLLECTOR SHOW AND SALE SUNDAY, MARCH 27th

If you’re a reader of Westerns as well as a watcher, here is an event you should not miss! From 9:00 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. you can search the wares of dozens of book dealers from around the country. They run from the very rare and pricey to the battered and cheap. Serious paperback collectors go for unopened books in perfect condition, but I go for what are disparagingly called ‘reader copies,’ and have found dozens of obscure Luke Shorts and Zane Greys for a dollar or two each. Also, more than 45 authors will be signing their books, and unlike other autograph shows, THERE IS NO CHARGE! Most of the authors are sci-fi and mystery types – for a complete list and schedule, click HERE. The event is at the Valley Inn and Conference Center, 10621 Sepulveda Blvd., Mission Hills, CA 91345. For more information, call Tom Lesser at 818-349-3844 or Black Ace Books at 232-661-5052.http://www.la-vintage-paperback-show.com/

BREAKING INTO WESTERN PRINT (BOTH ‘E’ AND PAPER) MARCH 27TH

If you’ve ever wanted to write a western novel or story – of if you’ve written it, but don’t know how to get it published (my hand is raised), make plans to go to Out West, at 24265 Main Street in Newhall on Sunday, March 27th at 2:00 p.m. Author C. Courtney Joyner, the very talented and prolific screenwriter and western film historian, will discuss breaking into the western print market, agents, editors, networking, the changes at Leisure Books, ‘E’ publishing, university presses, contests, and publishers across the pond. Mr. Joyner knows whereof he speaks: in addition to a long string of screen credits, both as writer and director, he wrote the fascinating interview-book THE WESTERNERS (see my review HERE), and his excellent tale, The Two-bit Kill, is featured in the new western story collection, LAW OF THE GUN. The event is free. For reservations call 661-255-7087.

CONTINUING

THE AUTRY NATIONAL CENTER

Built by cowboy actor, singer, baseball and TV entrepeneur Gene Autry, and designed by the Disney Imagineering team, the Autry is a world-class museum housing a fascinating collection of items related to the fact, fiction, film, history and art of the American West. In addition to their permenant galleries (to which new items are frequently added), they have temporary shows. The Autry has many special programs every week -- sometimes several in a day. To check their daily calendar, CLICK HERE. And they always have gold panning for kids every weekend. For directions, hours, admission prices, and all other information, CLICK HERE.

HOLLYWOOD HERITAGE MUSEUM

Across the street from the Hollywood Bowl, this building, once the headquarters of Lasky-Famous Players (later Paramount Pictures) was the original DeMille Barn, where Cecil B. DeMille made the first Hollywood western, The Squaw Man. They have a permanent display of movie props, documents and other items related to early, especially silent, film production. They also have occasional special programs. 2100 Highland Ave., L.A. CA 323-874-2276. Thursday – Sunday 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. $5 for adults, $3 for senior, $1 for children.

WELLS FARGO HISTORY MUSEUM

This small but entertaining museum gives a detailed history of Wells Fargo when the name suggested stage-coaches rather than ATMS. There’s a historically accurate reproduction of an agent’s office, an original Concord Coach, and other historical displays. Open Monday through Friday, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 a.m. Admission is free. 213-253-7166. 333 S. Grand Street, L.A. CA.

FREE WESTERNS ON YOUR COMPUTER AT HULU

A staggering number of western TV episodes and movies are available, entirely free, for viewing on your computer at HULU. You do have to sit through the commercials, but that seems like a small price to pay. The series available -- often several entire seasons to choose from -- include THE RIFLEMAN, THE CISCO KID, THE LONE RANGER, BAT MASTERSON, THE BIG VALLEY, ALIAS SMITH AND JONES, and one I missed from 2003 called PEACEMAKERS starring Tom Berenger. Because they are linked up with the TV LAND website, you can also see BONANZA and GUNSMOKE episodes, but only the ones that are running on the network that week.

The features include a dozen Zane Grey adaptations, and many or most of the others are public domain features. To visit HULU on their western page, CLICK HERE.

TV LAND - BONANZA and GUNSMOKE

Every weekday, TV LAND airs a three-hour block of BONANZA episodes from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. They run a GUNSMOKE Monday through Thursday at 10:00 a.m., and on Friday they show two, from 6:00 to 8:00 a.m.. They're not currently running either series on weekends, but that could change at any time.

NEED YOUR BLACK & WHITE TV FIX?

Check out your cable system for WHT, which stands for World Harvest Television. It's a religious network that runs a lot of good western programming. Your times may vary, depending on where you live, but weekdays in Los Angeles they run DANIEL BOONE at 1:00 p.m., and two episodes of THE RIFLEMAN from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m.. On Saturdays at 2:00 p.m. it's THE RIFLEMAN again, followed at 2:30 by BAT MASTERSON. And unlike many stations in the re-run business, they run the shows in the original airing order. There's an afternoon movie on weekdays at noon, often a western, and they show western films on the weekend, but the schedule is sporadic.

MUTTERINGS

This past Friday I was substitute teaching in a 5th grade class, and as the kids had read Jack London’s CALL OF THE WILD, they were now watching the movie. I caught the last half-hour or so. It had been made in 2000, for television, toplining Nick Mancuso. It had a framing device, with a grandfather telling the story, and to my surprise that grandfather was Hugh O’Brien, who did the part unbilled. It was not bad, but a far cry from the brilliant 1935 version, directed by William Wellman and starring Clark Gable and Loretta Young. I asked the teacher why they didn’t show the classic, expecting to be told because it’s in black and white, but the actual reason is that this one is G-rated, and there are no ratings on older films – you always have to be careful about upsetting parents and principals. She said there was a Charlton Heston version from 1972, but she couldn’t find it. I told her that I had a copy, which I’d never gotten around to watching, and I’d give it to her. I started watching it last night, and I doubt she’ll be able to show it – the fighting between dogs is very brutal. Also, Heston says in one of his books that he considers it the worst movie he ever made. Oh well!

Actually, the use of movies in classrooms goes back quite a ways. Back in 1939, when my mother’s history teacher fell behind in her curriculum, she caught up by skipping the Civil War, and assigning the kids to see GONE WITH THE WIND. My mother’s father, a school principal, was livid. Recently I’ve spoken to students who knew much more about the Civil War than I expected, and it turned out they’d seen GETTYSBURG and GODS AND GENERALS in class. That’s much better than the high school class where the students had read THE GREAT GATSBY, and were watching the movie – not the Alan Ladd or Robert Redford version -- but a TV one from 2000, where Paul Rudd played Gatsby AND Nick Carraway AND Tom Buchanan – or at any rate the parts were played by actors so alike that they couldn’t be distinguished. Incidentally Baz Luhrmann is directing a remake in Australia, starring Leo DeCaprio and Carey Mulligan, with Tobey Maguire as Nick. That sounds good, but -- and I'm not kidding -- it’s going to be in 3D! Paul Rudd’s version is sounding better and better. If you have a story about movies used in class, I’d like to hear it.

Well, it’s getting late, so I’m going to post this now, Sunday night, and tomorrow I’ll add the illustrations. Have a great week!

Adios,

Henry

All contents copyright March 2011 by Henry C. Parke – All Rights Reserved

Sunday, March 6, 2011

Three major new Westerns, two for the big screen and one for the small, are growing on the horizon! And all are based on historical fact!

MEEK’S CUTOFF

MEEK’S CUTOFF will open on the day taxpayers crave a distraction most, April 15th. The story of a wagon train lost in the Oregon desert in 1845, the film stars the beautiful Michelle Williams of BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN fame, fresh from her Oscar-nominated turn in BLUE VALENTINE. Co-starring is Paul Dano, who startled audiences by playing two roles in 2007’s THERE WILL BE BLOOD, and who will soon be seen in COWBOYS & ALIENS. Also in the cast is stuntman/actor Rod Rondeaux, whose legendary work with horses can be seen in almost every important Western of the last few years, and who played Roman Nose in INTO THE WEST (2005). The film is directed by Kelly Reichardt and written by Jonathan Raymond, whose previous collaboration, OLD JOY (2006) received strong critical notices. You can see the trailer for MEEK’S CUTOFF HERE.

http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi3293026841/

(photos top to bottom: poster and still from Meek's Cutoff; poster and still from Conspirator; still from Hell On Wheels; National Day of the Cowboy poster; WestFest poster and two shots from last year's Rodeo; Kim Darby and John Wayne in True Grit; Kim Darby when I met her and she smiled real nice but still wouldn't give me an interview; Chief John Yellow Flower of the Utes; Chief Keokuk of the Sac & Fox)

THE CONSPIRATOR

Set to open on the same fateful day, and more to the point, the day in 1865 that the President succumbed to his wounds, is THE CONSPIRATOR, the story of the trial of Mary Surratt, one of those accused of conspiring with John Wilkes Booth in the assassination of President Lincoln, and the attempted murders of Vice President Johnson and Secretary of State Seward. Historians have never reached a consensus on Mary Surratt’s guilt or innocence (I think she was guilty as Hell). Directed by Robert Redford, who won the directing Oscar for ORDINARY PEOPLE (1980), and was nominated for QUIZ SHOW (1994), the screenplay is by James D. Soloman, from a story by Soloman and Gregory Bernstein. The film stars Robin Wright as Mary Surratt, James MacEvoy as her lawyer, Rachel Evan Wood as her daughter, with Kevin Kline, Tom Wilkerson, Alexis Bledel and Danny Huston. To see the trailer for THE CONSPIRATOR, click HERE.

http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi3695417881/

HELL ON WHEELS

AMC, reportedly delighted with the pilot, has ordered a full season (with the pilot that makes ten episodes) of HELL ON WHEELS. The story is set just after the Civil War, during the building of the Transcontinental Railroad – the title refers to the make-shift, portable towns that sprung up along the way to service the railroad-workers’ needs. It stars Anson Mount as an ex-Confederate whose quest for revenge has led him to a job on the railroad. Rapper and DATE NIGHT star Common plays a freed slave, and also in the cast are Colm Meany of Star Trek fame (and also in CONSPIRATOR) and Eddie Spears of INTO THE WEST and the up-coming YELLOW ROCK. The series is being shot in Alberta, Canada, with financial help from the Alberta Film Development Program. The pilot is directed by David Von Ancken, who brought you SERAPHIM FALLS (2006). It’s created and written by Joe and Tony Gayton, brothers known for big action movies like BULLLETPROOF (1996) and FASTER (2010). An airdate has not yet been announced.

NATIONAL DAY OF THE COWBOY RIDES THROUGH NEW MEXICO!

Another state gets with the program, designating July 23rd to be the National Day of the Cowboy. As Santa Fe campaign-worker Richard Beal reports, the events of Wednesday, March 2nd, “Representative Brian F. Elgof talked for five minutes about the history of NDOC and why he thought it was important. The clerk then read the resolution. About 20 legislators stood up and told storoies about how their grandfather had been a cowboy, or they were a rodeo queen back in the day, etc., and each thanked Egolf for doing this and honoring the many cowboys in New Mexico. At the end, they presented us (NDOC) with the official certificate and the entire legislation sang Home on the Range.” Incidentally, Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, who is still recovering from the assassination attempt against her, has been a longtime supporter of NDOC.

On Monday March 7th, in Austin, Texas, the legislature will be meeting on the same matter. If you’d like to take part in this movement to make the National Day of the Cowboy an official national holiday, visit the official website HERE, and find out if your state is on board yet.

http://www.nationaldayofthecowboy.com/cms/

PALM SPRINGS ‘WESTFEST’ MARCH 24TH-27TH

There’s going to be so much going on at the Palm Springs Convention Center from Thursday through Sunday that I hardly know where to begin. There will be a PRCA Rodeo every day – including bareback riding, steer wrestling, team roping, saddle bronc riding, tie-down roping, barrel racing and bull riding; the Twangfest musical festival; Western Design Expo; a rodeo parade; barbecue; chili cook-off; a carnival; a Gene Autry Film Fest; talks by Bob Boze Bell of True West Magazine; talks by John Wayne co-star Eddie Faulkner remembering the Duke…. So much more than I can’t begin to fit it all in here – and aside from the rodeo, admission to everything is just five bucks a day! Also, although they officially say Westfest starts on March 24th, their event schedule starts on March 20th. CLICK HERE to go to the official site and learn more!

http://palmspringswestfest.com/index.php/home

KIM DARBY'S NOT TALKING

Apparently I lack grit. When I met Kim Darby recently I snapped a picture (see left), and asked for an interview. She referred me to her manager, who just called and told me, “Sorry, but no. I just got off the phone telling U.S.A. Today the same thing.” I can’t really blame her – with the huge success of the Coen Brothers’ TRUE GRIT remake, Kim has spent the last four months answering questions about the original film she made in 1969 with John Wayne and Henry Hathaway. She feels there’s nothing I can ask her about TRUE GRIT that she hasn’t answered a dozen or more times, and maybe she’s right. (I’ll try again later, with some really obscure and pointless questions like what kind of shoes Strother Martin wore, just to be different.) But if you’d like to get her take on the movie, CLICK HERE to visit her website, and follow the links to several recent interviews.

http://www.kimdarby.com/

ON THE TUBE

HAPPY TRAILS THEATER ON RFD-TV THURSDAY, MARCH 10TH

When Roy Rogers heard that Cole Porter had written a Broadway musical parody of B westerns, but couldn’t get it financed, he contacted Cole, and bought the theme song, which was the genesis of DON’T FENCE ME IN (1945), the story of reporter Dale Evans’ search for retired outlaw Wildcat Kelly. It also features great non-Cole Porter songs like The Last Roundup and Tumbling Tumbleweeds, and the cast includes Gabby Hayes, Robert Livingston, and one of the greatest of all screen gangsters, Marc Lawrence. At RFD-TV they pre-empted the Saturday morning airing, and the midnight one as well -- something with a title like The Country Family Reunion is returning to that slot, so the only time to catch DON'T FENCE ME IN is Thursday at 2:30 pm eastern and 5:30 western. I've sent an inquiry to the good folks at RFD-TV to ask, what gives?

COMING ATTRACTIONS – EVENTS IN MARCH

UCLA EVENTS AT THE BILLY WILDER THEATRE

Screenings as part of their Preservation Festival include, on Saturday, March 12th, a double bill of RAINBOW OVER TEXAS (1947) starring Roy Rogers and Dale Evans, and HEART OF THE RIO GRANDE (1942) starring Gene Autry and the lovely Smiley Burnette. On Monday, March 14th, it’s THE FORGOTTEN VILLAGE (1941) from a screenplay by John Steinbeck, preceded by MEXICO IN THE HEARST METRONONE NEWS COLLECTION. And on Saturday, March 19th at 2:00 p.m. they will present the program BABY PEGGY: HOLLYWOOD’S TINY TITAN. The daughter of a cowboy and stuntman, Baby Peggy, co-starring with Brownie the Wonder-Dog, was a hugely popular star of Western child action comedy films in the 1920s. Few of her films have survived, but Baby Peggy has – she’s now known as Diana Serra Carey, and she will be present for the screening of several of her short films, and existing fragments of several more. (Here’s a historical note: a Baby Peggy film was the first movie to play at the Vista Theatre in Hollywood when it was opened in the early 1920s. The theatre was built at the intersection of Hollywood and Sunset Boulevards, where the Babylon sets for D. W. Griffith’s INTOLERANCE once stood. Over the decades the theatre and neighborhood lost its luster, and the Vista became a gay porn theatre. When it was turned into a revival house in the 1980s, Baby Peggy, who had attended the original opening decades before, attended the new ceremony, where gay porn director Fred Halsted handed the theatre keys over to her.)

LOS ANGELES SPAGHETTI WESTERN FESTIVAL MARCH 19th!

The historic El Portal Theatre in North Hollywood will play host on Saturday, March 19th to the Los Angeles Spaghetti Western Festival. This all-day event will feature live music, screenings, and some very special guest stars, leading men Robert Woods (GATLING GUN, read our review HERE -- read our interview with Woods HERE); Michael Forest (NOW THEY CALL HIM SACRAMENTO, read our review HERE); Richard Harrison ($100,000 FOR RINGO); Brett Halsey (WRATH OF GOD); Dan van Husen (LIGHT THE FUSE…SARTANA IS COMING) and Jack Betts –a.k.a. Hunt Powers (DJANGO AND SARTANA), as well as actor, stunt coordinator and Western historian Neil Summers. The movies to be screened will include the one that started it all, Sergio Leone’s A FISTFUL OF DOLLARS, plus GATLING GUN (courtesy of Dorado Films – click HERE for their site) and DEAD MEN DON’T COUNT (courtesy of Wild East productions – click HERE for their site). A live musical tribute to Ennio Morricone will be presented by The Insect Surfers, playing music from the album FOR A FEW GUITARS MORE. You can save $10 if you register before February 28th, WHICH IS TOMORROW! For all the details, go to the official website HERE.

PAPERBACK COLLECTOR SHOW AND SALE SUNDAY, MARCH 27th

If you’re a reader of Westerns as well as a watcher, here is an event you should not miss! From 9:00 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. you can search the wares of dozens of book dealers from around the country. They run from the very rare and pricey to the battered and cheap. Serious paperback collectors go for unopened books in perfect condition, but I go for what are disparagingly called ‘reader copies,’ and have found dozens of obscure Luke Shorts and Zane Greys for a dollar or two each. Also, more than 45 authors will be signing their books, and unlike other autograph shows, THERE IS NO CHARGE! Most of the authors are sci-fi and mystery types – for a complete list and schedule, click HERE. The event is at the Valley Inn and Conference Center, 10621 Sepulveda Blvd., Mission Hills, CA 91345. For more information, call Tom Lesser at 818-349-3844 or Black Ace Books at 232-661-5052.http://www.la-vintage-paperback-show.com/

BREAKING INTO WESTERN PRINT (BOTH ‘E’ AND PAPER) MARCH 27TH

If you’ve ever wanted to write a western novel or story – of if you’ve written it, but don’t know how to get it published (my hand is raised), make plans to go to Out West, at 24265 Main Street in Newhall on Sunday, March 27th at 2:00 p.m. Author C. Courtney Joyner, the very talented and prolific screenwriter and western film historian, will discuss breaking into the western print market, agents, editors, networking, the changes at Leisure Books, ‘E’ publishing, university presses, contests, and publishers across the pond. Mr. Joyner knows whereof he speaks: in addition to a long string of screen credits, both as writer and director, he wrote the fascinating interview-book THE WESTERNERS (see my review HERE), and his excellent tale, The Two-bit Kill, is featured in the new western story collection, LAW OF THE GUN. The event is free. For reservations call 661-255-7087.

THE AUTRY NATIONAL CENTER

Built by cowboy actor, singer, baseball and TV entrepeneur Gene Autry, and designed by the Disney Imagineering team, the Autry is a world-class museum housing a fascinating collection of items related to the fact, fiction, film, history and art of the American West. In addition to their permenant galleries (to which new items are frequently added), they have temporary shows. The Autry has many special programs every week -- sometimes several in a day. To check their daily calendar, CLICK HERE. And they always have gold panning for kids every weekend. For directions, hours, admission prices, and all other information, CLICK HERE.

HOLLYWOOD HERITAGE MUSEUM

Across the street from the Hollywood Bowl, this building, once the headquarters of Lasky-Famous Players (later Paramount Pictures) was the original DeMille Barn, where Cecil B. DeMille made the first Hollywood western, The Squaw Man. They have a permanent display of movie props, documents and other items related to early, especially silent, film production. They also have occasional special programs. 2100 Highland Ave., L.A. CA 323-874-2276. Thursday – Sunday 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. $5 for adults, $3 for senior, $1 for children.

WELLS FARGO HISTORY MUSEUM

This small but entertaining museum gives a detailed history of Wells Fargo when the name suggested stage-coaches rather than ATMS. There’s a historically accurate reproduction of an agent’s office, an original Concord Coach, and other historical displays. Open Monday through Friday, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 a.m. Admission is free. 213-253-7166. 333 S. Grand Street, L.A. CA.

FREE WESTERNS ON YOUR COMPUTER AT HULU

A staggering number of western TV episodes and movies are available, entirely free, for viewing on your computer at HULU. You do have to sit through the commercials, but that seems like a small price to pay. The series available -- often several entire seasons to choose from -- include THE RIFLEMAN, THE CISCO KID, THE LONE RANGER, BAT MASTERSON, THE BIG VALLEY, ALIAS SMITH AND JONES, and one I missed from 2003 called PEACEMAKERS starring Tom Berenger. Because they are linked up with the TV LAND website, you can also see BONANZA and GUNSMOKE episodes, but only the ones that are running on the network that week.

The features include a dozen Zane Grey adaptations, and many or most of the others are public domain features. To visit HULU on their western page, CLICK HERE.

TV LAND - BONANZA and GUNSMOKE

Every weekday, TV LAND airs a three-hour block of BONANZA episodes from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. They run a GUNSMOKE Monday through Thursday at 10:00 a.m., and on Friday they show two, from 6:00 to 8:00 a.m.. They're not currently running either series on weekends, but that could change at any time.

NEED YOUR BLACK & WHITE TV FIX?

Check out your cable system for WHT, which stands for World Harvest Television. It's a religious network that runs a lot of good western programming. Your times may vary, depending on where you live, but weekdays in Los Angeles they run DANIEL BOONE at 1:00 p.m., and two episodes of THE RIFLEMAN from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m.. On Saturdays at 2:00 p.m. it's THE RIFLEMAN again, followed at 2:30 by BAT MASTERSON. And unlike many stations in the re-run business, they run the shows in the original airing order. There's an afternoon movie on weekdays at noon, often a western, and they show western films on the weekend, but the schedule is sporadic.

Well, March is sure shaping up to be a busy month for Western fans. Hope you're enjoying it!